Geographic Information Systems Certificate
Certificate in GIS Sciences and Technologies
The Certificate in GIS Sciences and Technologies, jointly offered by the departments of Geography and Forest Management, is aimed at present or future professionals or scientists who require skills in GIS technologies. The purpose of this program is to provide undergraduate students or individuals possessing an undergraduate degree with the training, knowledge, and understanding necessary to acquire, process, analyze, and properly display digital geographic data.
Special Requirements for the Certificate
To earn a certificate in GIS Sciences and Technologies, students must either complete or have completed an undergraduate degree and complete a minimum of 20 semester credit hours of course work, including 9 to 11 required credits and 9 to 11 elective credits as described below. Students must achieve at least an overall grade point average of 3.0 for courses within the program in order to earn a certificate. The certificate will be awarded upon the successful completion of all of the requirements of the certificate and the undergraduate degree.
Certificate of Art - Geographic Information Systems
College Humanities & Sciences
Catalog Year: 2016-2017
Degree Specific Credits: 20
Required Cumulative GPA: 3.0
Required GIS Core Courses
Rule: Must complete 1 from each of the following subcategories
Minimum Required Grade: C-
9-11 Total Credits Required
Introduction to GIS
Rule: Must complete 1 and only 1 of the following courses
Note: Prior to Fall 2013, this was fulfilled by FOR 250 & 350 or GPHY 381 & 382. In 2013 this requirement could be fulfilled with FORS 284.
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FORS 250 - Intro to GIS for Forest Mgt
Offered every term. Open to sophomores or juniors or with consent of instructor. This course is designed as a practical introduction to the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for storing, retrieving, analyzing and displaying spatial data. It will also cover the history of cartography and the conventions of the modern map-making process.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 284 - Intro to GIS and Cartography
Offered every term. Basic computer competency required. This course is designed as a practical introduction to the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for storing, retrieving, analyzing and displaying spatial data. It will also cover the history of cartography and the conventions of the modern map-making process. Students need to register for a required lab section.
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3 Credits |
| Minimum Required Grade: C- | 3 Total Credits Required | |
Photogrammetry/Remote Sensing
Rule: Must complete 3-4 credits of the following courses
Note: GPHY 487 and 489 should be completed together.
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FORS 351 - Env Remote Sensing
Offered spring. The theory and application of photo- and electro-optical remote sensing for mapping resources and developing information systems.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 487 - Remote Sensing/Raster GIS
Offered autumn. Prereq. or coreq., GPHY 284 or FORS 250 or Consent of Instructor. Coreq., GPHY 489. Basic principles of remote sensing and analyzing images within a raster GIS. Review current data sources.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 489 - Cartography/GIS Laboratory
(R-4) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., or coreq., GPHY 482, 486 or 487. Lab to accompany cartography and GIS courses.
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1 Credits |
| Minimum Required Grade: C- | 3-4 Total Credits Required | |
Additional Required Courses
Rule: Must complete 3-4 credits of the following courses
Note: GPHY 488 and 489 should be completed together. Spring 2014 and 2015, GPHY 488 and 489 are fulfilled by GPHY 491 GIS Applications.
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FORS 350 - Forestry Apps of GIS
Offered spring. Prereq., FORS 250 or FORS 284 or GPHY 284. Introduction to the basic concepts and techniques of computerized spatial data management and analysis systems and application to natural resource management.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 488 - Thematic Cartography & GIS
Offered spring. Prereq., GPHY 284 or GPHY 381 or FORS 250 or Consent of Instructor. Application of GIS for managing natural and cultural resources. Covers choropleth maps, dot maps, proportional figure maps, isarithmic maps, and others. Includes computer mapping and GIS exercises. Students need to register for a required linked lab section.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 489 - Cartography/GIS Laboratory
(R-4) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., or coreq., GPHY 482, 486 or 487. Lab to accompany cartography and GIS courses.
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1 Credits |
| Minimum Required Grade: C- | 3-4 Total Credits Required | |
Advanced Elective Courses
Rule: Must complete 9-11 credits of the following subcategories
Note: Students can choose electives from any subcategory/ies.
Minimum Required Grade: C-
9-11 Total Credits Required
Raster GIS, Remote Sensing, and Image Analysis
Rule: May complete 4-8 credits from the following courses
Note: GPHY 587 and 489 should be completed together.
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FORS 551 - Digital Image Processing
Offered intermittently. Prereq., FORS 351 or consent of instr. Fundamentals of electro-optical digital remote sensors, data compilation, preprocessing, and pattern recognition. Level: Graduate
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4 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 587 - Image Analysis & Modeling
Offered every two years. Prereq., GPHY 487 or FORS 351 or Consent of instructor; coreq., GPHY 589. Advanced topics in image analysis (e.g. hyperspectral images and pattern-recognition-based classification) and foundations of simple raster-based models. Level: Graduate
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 589 - Cartography/GIS Laboratory
(R-4) Offered autumn and spring. Laboratory to accompany GPHY 587 or 588. Level: Graduate
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1 Credits |
| Minimum Required Grade: C- | 4-8 Total Credits Required | |
Vector GIS and Networks
Rule: May complete 3-11 credits of the following courses
Note: GPHY 486 and 489 should be completed together. GPHY 588 and 589 should be completed together.
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GPHY 486 - Transport, Planning & GIS
Offered intermittently during wintersession (2 credits) or spring semester (3 credits.) Coreq., GPHY 489. A project-oriented course focusing on patterns and trends in urban passenger transportation, principles of transport planning, and modeling in GIS-T. To succeed in this course students should have comfort with basic algebra and statistics.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 489 - Cartography/GIS Laboratory
(R-4) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., or coreq., GPHY 482, 486 or 487. Lab to accompany cartography and GIS courses.
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1 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 580 - Seminar GIS & Cartography
(R-9) Offered every two years. Seminar topics in cartography and GIS. Applications to advanced studies in human and physical geography. Level: Graduate
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 588 - Vector GIS
Offered autumn. Coreq., GPHY 589. Theoretical/conceptual and practical aspects of entity-based GIS modeling and spatial analysis. Point pattern analysis (i.e. cluster detection, density analysis, kriging), network analysis (i.e. network construction, network-based spatial statistics, accessibility modeling), and areal pattern analysis (i.e. spatial autocorrelative pattern, spatial regression modeling). Applications in urban and environmental planning, transportation, natural resource management, ecology, health, criminology, engineering, and business. To succeed in this course students should have familiarity with GIS. Level: Graduate
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 589 - Cartography/GIS Laboratory
(R-4) Offered autumn and spring. Laboratory to accompany GPHY 587 or 588. Level: Graduate
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1 Credits |
| Minimum Required Grade: C- | 3-11 Total Credits Required | |
Data Management and Programming
Rule: May complete 3-10 credits of the following courses
Note: GPHY 468 and 469 should be completed together.
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CSCI 250 - Computer Mdlng/Science Majors
Offered autumn. Prereq., basic computer and spreadsheet literacy; coreq., M 162 or 171. An introduction to programming in Python with an emphasis on problems arising in the sciences, including: function plotting, data fitting, file input/output, solving ordinary differential equations, matrix manipulation, and sensor networks. A student can take at most one of CSCI 172, CSCI 250, CRT 280, and CRT 281 for credit.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
FORS 505 - Sampling Methods
Offered spring. Prereq., consent of instr. Fundamentals of statistical sampling emphasizing natural and environmental resource applications. Principles of inferences and alternative estimators are studied in the context of simple random, systematic, unequal probability, stratified, and 3P/Poisson designs. Variable radius plot sampling, line intersect sampling, and other probability proportional to size designs used in forest and ecological inventories are also covered. Level: Graduate
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3 Credits |
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GPHY 468 - Community & Regional Analysis
Offered autumn. Coreq., GPHY 469. Socio-demographic analysis of communities and regions: population, employment, and spatial interaction. Hands-on course designed for future planners, GIS analysts, and others interested in socio-demographic change. To succeed in this course students should have comfort with basic algebra.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 469 - Planning & Analysis Laboratory
Offered autumn. Coreq., GPHY 468. Laboratory to accompany GPHY 468.
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1 Credits |
| Minimum Required Grade: C- | 3-10 Total Credits Required | |
GIS Applications
Rule: May complete 3-11 credits of the following courses
Note: GPHY 482 and 489 should be completed together.
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ANTY 452 - GIS in Archaeology
Offered intermittently. Prereq., ANTY 250s. Anthropological and archaeological data acquisition, management, and analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools and techniques.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
FORS 503 - GIS:Meth & Applic I
Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of instr. Introduction to the theory and development of statistical gradient and predictive distribution models in the resource and conservation sciences. Course will develop climatic, edaphic, biophysical, and inventory data sources for use in predictive distribution modeling. Survey of multiple modeling approaches, limitations and assumptions, and applications in the resource and conservation fields. Emphasis on the integration of GIS and raster analysis methods with spatial and non-spatial statistical techniques. Level: Graduate
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3 Credits |
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GPHY 385 - Field Techniques
Offered autumn and intermittently in spring. Prereq., GPHY 112N or Consent of Instructor. Field techniques used by geographers and planners in making field observations and in collecting data.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 481 - Advanced Cartographic Design
Offered autumn. Prereq., GPHY 284 or FORS 250 or Consent of Instructor. The course concentrates on the presentation of spatial data and the construction of cartographic products that have clear communication and excellent aesthetic design. The class meets the University's service learning course objectives through a semester long project where students consult with a client, design and construct a map, and deliver a final product.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 482 - Spatial Analysis & GIS
Offered intermittently. Prereq., GPHY 284 or Consent of Instructor. Coreq., GPHY 489. Quantitative analysis of spatial data, including techniques for pattern analysis, classification, and interpolation within a GIS environment.
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 489 - Cartography/GIS Laboratory
(R-4) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., or coreq., GPHY 482, 486 or 487. Lab to accompany cartography and GIS courses.
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1 Credits |
| Show Description |
GPHY 564 - Planning Design
Offered spring even-numbered years. Prereq., graduate standing or Consent of Instructor. Analysis of land-use problems and design. Level: Graduate
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3 Credits |
| Show Description |
WILD 562 - Wildlife Habitat Modeling
Offered spring, odd years. Prereq., consent of instr. A survey of theory and applications in the study of resource selection by animals. Level: Graduate
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3 Credits |
| Minimum Required Grade: C- | 3-11 Total Credits Required | |